Ben Chilwell

[Superblue 6,372]

7 minutes ago, Jase said:

Both Telegraph and Guardian have so far stated it as ACL damage as opposed to tear. If we're looking at silver linings, that is good and hopefully it's not worse. *touch wood*

Yes fingers crossed with this.

If it's say a few weeks through to the end of the year or into January it's not ideal given the volume of games to come but it becomes far more of a manageable situation.

Anything that becomes months or end of the season I feel will need to be addressed as a priority in January.

[King Kante 1,643]

Not great news. However, Alonso isn't as bad as some are making out. Will he get roasted at times against really fast players? Yes, he will. However, is he still a good option against 80% of teams? Yes, he is. 

In my opinion, let's just get on and roll with Alonso and Saul until Jan and then look to whether we need Matasen back as cover. 

No way do we need to go out and blow €70m on a LWB; unless of course Chilwell's ACL is so bad he may not play again. 

[Blue Armour 4,436]

46 minutes ago, King Kante said:

Not great news. However, Alonso isn't as bad as some are making out. Will he get roasted at times against really fast players? Yes, he will. However, is he still a good option against 80% of teams? Yes, he is. 

In my opinion, let's just get on and roll with Alonso and Saul until Jan and then look to whether we need Matasen back as cover. 

No way do we need to go out and blow €70m on a LWB; unless of course Chilwell's ACL is so bad he may not play again. 

True. I'm also hoping for Chillwell to make it back sooner rather than later., but don't understand the shade being thrown Alonsos way. 

Did we not win a PL title with him as the main left wing back? Plus he's started this season brightly.

If we were stuck with Emerson..that would suck IMO.

[Clockwork 1,794]

46 minutes ago, King Kante said:

Not great news. However, Alonso isn't as bad as some are making out. Will he get roasted at times against really fast players? Yes, he will. However, is he still a good option against 80% of teams? Yes, he is. 

In my opinion, let's just get on and roll with Alonso and Saul until Jan and then look to whether we need Matasen back as cover. 

No way do we need to go out and blow €70m on a LWB; unless of course Chilwell's ACL is so bad he may not play again. 

Alonso doesn’t bring anywhere the energy or pressing Chily brings, it adversely effects our entire play. It is just not the 1vs1. It is a big problem.

[Stats 7,136]

The biggest compliment I can give him is that when he joined, I think there was a huge fanbase who was so against the signing. I was one of a few, I say gladly now who was delighted about the signing. He was ridiculed by a lot of people who thought it was waste of money and were angry money was not spent on Reguilon. Well he has proved a fantastic signing and has proved the majority wrong. He will be missed for sure!

[different level 1,056]

Still hoping the injury is not as bad as the reports suggest and he returns as soon as possible. Waiting for the official news.

[DDA 9,924]

What a fucking downer... he is vital to the way we play along with James. We 100% cannot rely on Alonso to play the rest of the season if we want to win the league and/or CL. 

[Clockwork 1,794]

59 minutes ago, DDA said:

What a fucking downer... he is vital to the way we play along with James. We 100% cannot rely on Alonso to play the rest of the season if we want to win the league and/or CL. 

I am completely out on Alonso, give Saul an opportunity. At least he has the physical ability to play the position the way we want to play. He started the first two games at Atletico in that position. 

[NikkiCFC 8,286]

32 minutes ago, Clockwork said:

I am completely out on Alonso, give Saul an opportunity. At least he has the physical ability to play the position the way we want to play. He started the first two games at Atletico in that position. 

And him playing there is major reason why he wanted to leave Atletico. He wants to play in MF. 

Also dont know why suddenly no one trusts Alonso... Our record under TT with him is great... Last season but also this season. Not to mention under Conte, title in first season, TOTY in 2nd season.

With Alonso in 2021 under TT we beat: Atletico x2, Spurs x2, Arsenal, City, Everton, Palace, Villa... I mentioned these 9 games where we conceded  just 1 goal (Chris mistake against City). And many more...

Just in August he was nominated for PL POTM... 

 

[Vesper 30,085]

1 hour ago, NikkiCFC said:

And him playing there is major reason why he wanted to leave Atletico. He wants to play in MF. 

 

big difference between a Tuchel bombing LWB and a Simeone grinder LB role

he is deffo worth a try there

[Clockwork 1,794]

1 hour ago, NikkiCFC said:

And him playing there is major reason why he wanted to leave Atletico. He wants to play in MF. 

Also dont know why suddenly no one trusts Alonso... Our record under TT with him is great... Last season but also this season. Not to mention under Conte, title in first season, TOTY in 2nd season.

With Alonso in 2021 under TT we beat: Atletico x2, Spurs x2, Arsenal, City, Everton, Palace, Villa... I mentioned these 9 games where we conceded  just 1 goal (Chris mistake against City). And many more...

Just in August he was nominated for PL POTM... 

 

He stinks against any team that presses high and under pressure. Absolutely no composure. He also doesn’t have the physical capability to press at the level of Chilly. With him it hurts our chances to retain the CL and win the PL. Alonso is the type of player that will have 1 Or 2 decent matches, but will get much worse game after game.

if Saul wants to play he better accept that role, because Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, and RLC are miles better.

[Vesper 30,085]

On 24/11/2021 at 16:20, milka said:

 We Have Marcos Alonso   and Azpilicueta who can play also  LWB ,  so we dont need to recall Emerson . 

Azpi at LWB is capitualation

I say NO NO NO to recalling Emerson

recall Maatsen perhaps (and Maatsen has had a decent growth spurt and is now up to around 5 feet 8 inched tall, so not a dwarf anymore)

 

or use Saul there plus Alonso

AC Milan will never sell the only truly great left-footed LB out there who is even remotely available (Theo) in January

Spinnazzola (one of only two great right footed LB's along with Cancelo) is too much of risk to buy in January, as he is still not close to being fully recovered from that Achilles rupture, look how long it took CHO and RLC to fully recover (way over a year for each, especially RLC)

only other option I would be ok with exploring is Borna Sosa

 

Edited November 26, 2021 by Vesper

[Vesper 30,085]

one other recall option

Levi Colwill

left footed CB who also plays LB (deffo not a regular at LB though)

great size (1.87m) and pacey

 

 

Why Levi Colwill is Chelsea's next big thing

https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/transfer-news/uk-premier-league/2021/09/why-levi-colwill-is-chelseas-next-big-thing

This summer has seen a mass exodus of Chelsea academy graduates from the club.

Valentino Livramento, Lewis Bate, Dynel Simeu and Myles Peart-Harris have all left the club on permanent deals, as have Marc Guehi, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham, while the likes of Faustino Anjorin and Armando Broja have departed on loan moves.

Another player who has gone out on loan this season is Levi Colwill. The 18-year-old has joined Huddersfield Town on loan for the 2021/22 season, in a move similar to the one the aforementioned Tomori made to Derby County in 2018/19. He is rated extremely highly amongst the Chelsea set-up, but who is he?

What position does Levi Colwill play play?

Colwill is a central defender by trade. He is capable of playing in a back four or a back three, and features on the left-hand side due to his favoured left peg.

He can also fill in at left-back if needed.

How good is Levi Colwill?

Both Tomori and Marc Guehi left the club permanently this summer, with Chelsea happy to let the pair leave, in part thanks to the emergence of Colwill.

Xavier Mbuyamba is also a young defender in the academy, signed from Barcelona, and has begun training with the first-team which is a sign of how highly the Blues rate him. However, Colwill is arguably the player Chelsea hold in highest regard in the academy.

Recently called up to the England U21 squad, having been promoted from the U18s, Colwill has hit the ground running for Huddersfield in the Championship, and has well and truly taken to senior football like a duck to water. He's played every minute of the Terriers' league campaign so far, helping them pick up a crucial victory over Sheffield United by scoring a 94th minute winner in front of the travelling away fans.

Not only that, but he's been assured when defending, and has certainly deserved the recognition from the England set-up.

Colwill is simply outstanding. Watching even a highlight reel shows the talent he has, and the fact he stands out playing senior football at 18 testifies to this.

A left-footed centre-back, Colwill's body positioning is excellent on the ball, and by playing on the left of a centre-back pairing, he opens the pitch up. Many teams use two, or even three, right-footed centre-backs, and this sometimes limits the passing lanes and possibilities for playing out the back.

Colwill's strong left-foot negates that issue, and it allows Huddersfield to build through the thirds easily on the left-hand side of the pitch. His vision is truly exceptional for a defender, and he frequently breaks the lines with his passes. Of course, these risky passes don't always come off, but his immense technical prowess means he rarely gives the ball away.

In Huddersfield's 4-0 win over Reading, Colwill completed a huge seven long balls, with his switch of play crucial to the first goal. A simple five-yard pass to a fellow defender is an option that many centre-backs take, look at Caglar Soyuncu and Daniel Amartey against West Ham, but Colwill often looks beyond the easy option, and it helps Huddersfield progress up the pitch far quicker.

Of course, this doesn't always work, but he'll improve with experience.

Colwill's ability on the ball is perhaps best shown by his tally of 1.2 dribbles per 90. Coming from centre-back that is almost unheard of, and ranks him third of all centre-backs in the division.

It's that drive from the backline that attracts attention to Colwill, and he often has the presence of mind to wait until the last moment, after sucking two or three players towards him, before releasing a pass which creates a pocket of space for his teammates.

This is something he regularly did for Chelsea's youth teams, and it's something he's continued with almost effortless ease in the Championship.

Colwill is a fairly front-footed defender, meaning he quite often opts to make a challenge rather than stall his opponent. This works most of the time, but as mentioned earlier, his defensive nous will only get better with age, and the few times he gets caught out of position will soon be rectified.

Speaking to Goal recently, Colwill revealed how close friend Jamal Musiala, and the success he has had, is pushing him to achieve his goals. He said: "We played for the same Sunday team [City Central FC], and we went up together for our Chelsea trial. We have just done everything together.

"We keep in touch still now and he is a good mate. It is amazing to see what he has achieved so far. It gives me goosebumps every time because I have been through everything he has been through, all that grind.

"To see what he has done now is inspiring and it shows me what is possible. If I keep working hard, I know I can achieve what he's done."

Colwill follows a fairly long line of Chelsea loanees to end up at Huddersfield, but he might well be the best of the lot. His central defensive partner Naby Sarr recently revealed in a press conference that "Colwill looks like he's been playing professionally for 10 years already, and he's only 18.

"He has everything to play for, he'll be a big player."

With 3.0 aerial wins per 90, Colwill ranks second in the Huddersfield squad, which shows he's more than prepared to do the dirty work in addition to his aesthetically-pleasing passes.

To fit seamlessly into a competitive senior team is no mean feat, but Colwill is proving week-in, week-out, why he is viewed as the next big thing to come out of Cobham, and why Chelsea were happy to let both Tomori and Guehi go.

He's still raw, of course, but the early signs are that Colwill is a special, special talent.

Still just 18, Colwill won't be trusted in the Chelsea first-team just yet, but Thomas Tuchel certainly holds him in high regard. With Jules Kounde on Chelsea's radar, added to the talent already available at centre-back, it may be a few years before Colwill is handed a starting berth at the club.

[SomethingSomething 17]

Chilly had his mental problems in the past, if it is indeed ACL I hope it wont affect him too much. Talking from experience, acls/meniscus tears are a bitch.

[chelsea_4_eva 1,180]

If it comes down to it, I think its worth a shot to give Saul a few goes at LWB.. I know he wants to play CM but how many times have we seen Chilly or Alonso in the box. Also our LB/LWB system is different to Atleticos